Invoice Templates & Colours

Every invoice you send is a reflection of your business. GST Bill gives you a choice of professional invoice templates with colour schemes so your invoices look polished and consistent — without needing any design skills.

---

Template Access by Plan

| Template | Trial | Regular | Pro | |---|---|---|---| | Classic | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Modern | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Minimal | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Professional | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Creative | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | Custom colours | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |

---

The 5 Templates

1. Classic

Style: Corporate · Best for: All business types, accountants, traditional invoicing

The Classic template is a clean, structured, table-based layout. It's the most universally accepted format — familiar to accountants, acceptable in all business contexts, and easy to read on paper and screen.

Available colour schemes: | Scheme | Description | Primary Colour | |---|---|---| | Corporate Blue | Professional blue — the trusted default | #2563EB | | Ocean Teal | Fresh teal tone for a modern twist on a classic | #0D9488 | | Slate Grey | Neutral, understated, highly professional | #475569 |

---

2. Modern

Style: Contemporary · Best for: Tech companies, agencies, startups, design businesses

The Modern template features a bold gradient header that makes an immediate visual impression. Card-based sections give it a clean, structured feel that stands apart from traditional invoice formats.

Available colour schemes: | Scheme | Description | Primary Colour | |---|---|---| | Violet Gradient | Rich purple to indigo gradient header | #7C3AED | | Indigo Night | Deep indigo with near-black gradient | #4338CA | | Rose Dusk | Bold red-rose to deep crimson | #E11D48 |

---

3. Minimal

Style: Minimalist · Best for: Freelancers, consultants, premium brands, creative professionals

The Minimal template strips everything back — generous white space, fine lines, and strong typography. The result is an invoice that feels calm, premium, and effortlessly professional.

Available colour schemes: | Scheme | Description | Primary Colour | |---|---|---| | Pure Mono | Black and white — timeless and clean | #111827 | | Warm Sand | Warm amber tones on cream background | #78350F | | Cool Mist | Sky blue accents on white — fresh and light | #0369A1 |

---

4. Professional (Pro Plan)

Style: Executive · Best for: B2B invoicing, legal/finance firms, enterprise clients

The Professional template uses a structured navy sidebar alongside a clean content area. It conveys authority and formality — ideal when your clients are large organisations or when the invoice needs to feel weighty.

Available colour schemes: | Scheme | Description | Primary Colour | |---|---|---| | Executive Navy | Deep navy — the definitive B2B look | #1E3A5F | | Forest Green | Rich forest green for a grounded, trustworthy feel | #14532D | | Burgundy | Deep wine red — refined and distinctive | #7F1D1D | | Charcoal | Near-black charcoal — bold and serious | #1F2937 |

---

5. Creative (Pro Plan)

Style: Bold · Best for: Creative agencies, designers, photographers, marketing professionals

The Creative template uses diagonal accent elements, vibrant colours, and rounded corners. It breaks the mould of the traditional invoice format while remaining fully GST-compliant. Use it to reinforce a strong visual brand identity.

Available colour schemes: | Scheme | Description | Primary Colour | |---|---|---| | Electric Fuchsia | Vibrant magenta with neon diagonal accents | #A21CAF | | Sunset Orange | Warm orange tones with amber accents | #EA580C | | Neon Lime | Bold green with bright lime accents | #3F6212 |

---

How to Change Your Template

1. Go to Invoices in the navigation bar 2. Click the Template Settings option (or navigate to Settings → Invoice Templates) 3. The template settings page opens with a live preview on the right

Choosing a Template

The top section shows all available templates as thumbnail cards. Templates locked for your plan are shown with a padlock icon.

- Click any available template to select it

• The live preview updates instantly on the right side of the screen showing a sample invoice in your chosen template

  Choosing a Colour Scheme

  Once you select a template, the colour scheme section updates to show the schemes available for that template.

  - Each scheme shows a row of colour swatches so you can see the main colours at a glance

• Click a scheme to select it
• The live preview updates immediately

  Live Preview

  The live preview on the right side of the page shows a real dummy invoice rendered in your chosen template and colour scheme — exactly as it will look when your customers receive their PDF.

  - Click the Refresh button to reload the preview if needed

• The preview is A4 portrait — the same size as the generated PDF

  Saving Your Settings

  Click Save Template Settings to apply your chosen template and scheme as your default. All future invoices will use these settings.

  ---

  Custom Colours (Pro Plan)

  Pro users can go beyond the preset colour schemes and fine-tune individual colours to match their exact brand.

  Accessing Custom Colours

  On the Template Settings page, scroll down to the Custom Colours section (visible for Pro users).

  Available Colour Variables

  You can customise these colour variables (the exact set depends on your chosen template):

  | Variable | What It Controls |

|---|---| | Primary Colour | Main brand colour used throughout | | Header Background | Background of the invoice header section | | Header Text | Text colour in the header | | Table Header Background | Background of the line items table header row | | Table Header Text | Text colour of the table header | | Alternating Row Background | Subtle background on alternate table rows | | Total Section Background | Background behind the grand total amount | | Total Section Text | Text colour of the total amount | | Border Colour | Colour of lines and borders | | Text (Dark) | Main body text colour | | Text (Light) | Secondary/muted text colour |

Template-specific variables:

• Modern: Gradient end colour (for the gradient header)
• Minimal: Accent line colour (the decorative horizontal rule)
• Professional: Sidebar background and sidebar text colours
• Creative: Diagonal accent element colour

  Entering a Custom Colour

  Each colour variable has a text input that accepts a hex colour code:

  - Format: #RRGGBB — e.g. #1A3C6E

• Shorthand also works: #RGB — e.g. #14F
• You can copy hex codes from any colour picker, your brand guide, or tools like Coolors.co

  The live preview updates as you type so you can see the effect immediately.

  > Tip: Start from a preset colour scheme that's closest to your brand, then only adjust the specific colours that need to change. This is much faster than setting all colours from scratch.

  ---

  Setting a Favourite Template

  On the Template Settings page, the Favourite Template section lets you mark one template as your quick-access favourite. This gives you a shortcut to switch to it without going through the full settings page.

  ---

  Per-Invoice Template Override

  Your default template applies to all new invoices. However, you can use a different template for a specific invoice without changing your default:

  1. Open the invoice

2. Click Preview — this shows the invoice in your default template 3. In the preview, you can switch templates using the template selector to see how the invoice looks in a different style

Each invoice remembers the template and colour scheme it was created with, so re-printing or re-sending an older invoice always produces the exact same appearance — even if you've changed your default template since.

---

Tips for Choosing a Template

- When in doubt, use Classic — it's universally accepted and never looks out of place

• Match your industry — Creative for agencies, Professional for finance/law, Minimal for consultants
• Match your existing branding — if your website/letterhead uses a specific colour, use Custom Colours (Pro) to match it exactly on your invoices
• Consider your customers — if your clients are large corporates, a conservative template (Classic, Professional) may be received better than a bold creative one
• Test with a real invoice first — use the live preview to see how an actual invoice looks before committing to a template

  ---

  Frequently Asked Questions

  Q: Can I use different templates for different customers?

Not automatically. Your default template applies to all new invoices. For a specific invoice, you can preview it in a different template. Per-customer template preferences are planned for a future update.

Q: Will old invoices change if I update my default template? No. Existing invoices remember the template that was active when they were created. Changing your default only affects new invoices going forward.

Q: Can I upload my own custom invoice template? Custom HTML/PDF template uploads are not currently supported. The 5 built-in templates with Custom Colours (Pro) cover most branding needs.

Q: The colours on screen look different from the PDF — why? Your screen renders colours in RGB (light-based), while printers use CMYK (ink-based). Bright saturated colours (especially reds, electric blues) may appear slightly different in print. For print-heavy use, test your chosen colour with a printed sample.

Q: I'm on Regular plan but want the Professional template — can I upgrade? Yes. Upgrade to the Pro plan from your dashboard to unlock the Professional and Creative templates, plus Custom Colours.

---

📧 Need help? Contact support: admin@gst-bill.com